Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine on COVID-19 Treatment: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history and is known for its anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and immunoregulatory qualities. It has been extensively studied during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, to evaluate the relationship between TCM and the treatment of COVID-19, we conducted a meta-analysis. Methods: Our meta-analysis included 22 randomized clinical trials, which investigated the analyzed endpoints: time to recovery from fever, severity of dyspnea or breathlessness according on different scales, time to recovery for coughing, including dry and wet coughing, time to recovery for fatigue, changes in respiratory rate, length of hospitalization, hospital discharging rate, number of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, number of cases requiring any supplemental oxygenation, number of deaths among COVID-19 patients, conversion rate of SARS-CoV-2 tests on a particular day, and time to viral assay conversion. The relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and the mean difference or standardized mean difference with 95% CIs were calculated to compare the effect. A random effects model was used to calculate effect sizes. Results: We indicated a positive effect of TCM on different COVID-19 symptoms. TCM influences hospitalization duration, ICU admission, mortality, and time to viral assay conversion among COVID-19 patients. Moreover, TCM positively affects SARS-CoV-2 test conversion rates on particular days (RR = 1.21; 95% CI [1.10; 1.32]; p < 0.0001; I² = 84%). Conclusions: TCM may potentially support the standard treatment of COVID-19. Nevertheless, the necessity for further randomized trials with a greater number of participants and in a wider range of countries remains apparent.